Water-ski towing apparatus



OR 3,417,726 5R Dec. 24, 1968 J. MARINO 3,417,726

WATER-SKI TOWING APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1967 INVENTOR.

LEON J. MARINO ATTORNEY.

United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The instant invention is concerned essentially with a 1 mount at the stern of a watercraft and carrying a resiliently flexible shaft extending aft for retaining a ski-tow line clear of the tow vehicle and its appurtenances.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is well known to those versed in the art of water skiing, the towline is usually secured to the towing vehicle at the stern, and the boat-propulsion means, includ- 2O ing propeller, is also usually located at the stern. Notwithstanding that ski-towing line is usually of a floatable material, there exists an ever-present danger of the towline being caught on and fouling the propeller, other propulsion apparatus or underwater structure of the boat. Such accidents, usually resulting from the churning action of the water in the region of the propeller, or from maneuvering of the boat when the towline is slack, or other reason, can result in serious damage to equipment, and sometimes personal injury.

While there have been proposed structures for preventing the fouling of a ski towline with appurtenances of the towing vehicle, these prior devices have been relatively heavy and cumbersome, difficult to operate, and unreliable in use.

SUMMARY Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a device of the type described for use in water skiing to maintain the towline clear of the towing vehicle and appendages, which device is extremely simple in construction, light in weight, readily mounted and demounted for use or storage, entirely reliable throughout a long useful life, and which can be economically manufactured for sale at a reasonable price.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now more particularly to the drawing, and specifically to FIGURE 1 thereof, a towing vehicle or boat is there generally designated 10, which may be conventional, including at its stern a transom, and illustrating 3,417,726 Patented Dec. 24, 1968 ice a propulsion means 14 at the stern of the boat. The propulsion means, as illustrated, may be an outboard motor, or other suitable propulsion means may be employed, the apparatus of the instant invention serving equally well to maintain the towline clear of the boat and appendages thereto, including various types of propulsion means.

The apparatus of the present invention is generally designated 15, and may be carried at the stern of a boat 10, being detachably or fixedly secured thereto, as desired. The apparatus 15, in the illustrated embodiment, may include a mount 16, which may be any suitable mounting means, shown for purposes of illustration as a C-clamp detachably fixed to the transom 11. The clamp 16 may have its opposite ends respectively inboard and outboard of the transom, having its intermediate portion 17 extending over the upper edge of the transom in a forward-and aft direction. Holder means, as at 18 may be carried by the intermediate portion 17 of mount 16 being secured thereto by securement means, as at 19.

Carried by the holder means 18 is an elongate, stiff, resiliently flexible member or shaft 20, extending rearwardly from and outboard of the transom. The shaft 20 may be provided at its outboard end with a line guide 21, for a purpose appearing presently.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3, the holder 18 may include a tubular member 25, say having its opposite ends open, and extending in a generally vertical plane generally parallel to and spaced laterally from the intermediate portion 17 of mount or clamp 16. The securement means 19 may include a pair of generally disclike members 26 and 27 located in facing relation with respect to each other intermediate and respectively fixedly secured to the clamp portion 17 and tube 25. That is, the

securement member or disc 26 may be fixed, as by welding or other suitable means, in facing engagement with one side of the clamp portion 17, and the disc member 27 may be suitably fixed on one side of the tube 25. Projecting centrally from the disc 26 is a threaded member or stud 28, which may extend centrally through the disc 27, and pass thence transversely through and beyond the tube 25. Thus, the disc 27 and associated tube 25 are mounted for rotation about the generally horizontal axis of stud 28. The facing sides of the discs 26 and 27 are provided with interfitting formations, such as radially exa tending ribs 29, so that the ribs of one disc are conformably engageable between adjacent pairs of ribs of the other disc. This condition is best seen in FIGURE 3. It will also there be seen that a fastener element, such as a wing nut 31 may be removably threaded on the stud 28 into abutting engagement with the adjacent portion of tube 25. This maintains the tube and disc 27 against rotation about the stud, while permitting such rotation upon withdrawal of the Wing nut 31, as for selective angular adjustment of the tube 25. The tube may also be provided, say on its outer side, with an internally threaded hole 32, in which is engaged a setscrew 33.

The elongate member, rod or shaft 20 may be fabricated of any suitable material, such as resiliently flexible metal, Fiberglas-reinforced plastic, or the like, and may have its inner end portion 35 engaged in one end of the tube 25 and removably fixed therein, as by the setscrew 33. That is, the end portion 35 of the rod or shaft 20 is engaged into the tube 25, say into limiting abutment with the stud 28, and secured therein by inward threading of the setscrew 33 into engagement with the received shaft. The tube 25 thus serves as a receiver for the shaft 20, and the shaft extends from the receiver or tube rearwardly beyond the boat 10 and its propulsion means 12, or other appurtenances. The shaft may be of outwardly tapering configuration, as illustrated, or of constant cross section, if desired, it being highly advantageous that a 3 substantial degree of resilient flexibility be afforded. The line guide 21 may advantageously assume a corkscrew configuration, thereby affording access of a line to and from the guide by lateral insertion and withdrawal, while effectively retaining the line against inadvertent removal from the guide.

The towline is generally designated 37, and may be of any suitable flexible rope material. Advantageously, the towline 37 includes a bridle part 38 of generally U-shaped configuration having its opposite ends detachably secured, as by a pair of loops 39 to appropriate fittings 40 fixed to the outer surface of the transom 11, at laterally spaced locations thereof. Extending from an intermediate region of the bridle 38 is the towline proper 41 which passes centrally through the line guide 21, and after a desired length is conventionally provided with suitable handgrip means (not shown) for grasping by a skier. At a location along the towline proper 41 outboard of the guide 21, the towline proper is provided with a fixed enlargement, such as a knot 42, or other sutable enlargement, and a float 43 may be slidably carried on the towline inboard of the enlargement 42. The location of the enlargement 42 and float or abutment 43 is such as to permit a limited degree of sliding of line 41 through guide 21, without permitting excessive accumulation of line forward of the guide as may tend to foul the propulsion means 12.

In use, as when a skier is being towed on the aft end of line 41, pull is applied to the line tending to flex the shaft 20 and bend the latter generally downard, as in the solid-line position of FIGURE 1. Thus, the force exerted through the towline 41 and bridle 38 is applied to the vehicle at a relatively low region thereoffor maximum effectiveness of the vehicle during its towing maneuvers. However, upon release of the towline 41 by a skier, the shaft swings upwardly by its resilient restoration force, to the position shown in phantom in FIGURE 1, assuring that the towline 37 remains clear of the propulsion means 12. Further, as noted hereinbefore, excess accumulation of towline beneath the shaft 21 is prevented by abutment of the enlargement means 42, 43 with the guide 21.

The initial or undistended aft inclination of shaft 20 is determined, and may be selected by adjustment of the receiver tube angularly about the axis of stud 28. Obviously, removal and replacement of the above-described apparatus may be quickly and easily achieved by detachment or replacement of mount or clamp 16.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a water-ski towing apparatus which fully accomplishes its intended objects and is well adapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture, installation, maintenance and use.

What is claimed is:

1. A vvater-ski towing apparatusfor use with a boat and p ropulsio n m eans at the stern of the boat, said appa tus comprising mounting means adapted lto be i' dl 1Q 'th qboatatthe stern thereof, holder means on said mounting means, a resiliently flexible shaft having one end carried by said holder means for extension therefrom aft of the propulsion means, a line guide on said shaft adjacent to the other end thereof, anda t gy v line extending from the boat through the line guide to a skier, whereby the line is supported at all times clear of the propulsion means, said holder means comprising a re ceiver receiving said one shaft end, said mounting means comprising a mount fixed to the boat, and securement means adjustably securing said receiver to the mount, whereby said shaft is disposable at a selected inclination, said received comprising a tubular member, and said securement means comprising relatively rotatable facing members respectively carried by said tubular member and mount, said facing members having interfitting formations on their facing sides, and fastener means detachably securing said facing members in a selected position of relative rotation with their formations in interfitting relation.

2. A water-ski towing apparatus according to claim 1, said mount comprising a clamp for detachable clamping to the transom of a boat.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,043,259 7/1962 Sadler. 3,113,547 12/1963 Stewart. 3,326,175 6/1967 Baker.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

TRYGVE M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner. 

